10 Best Backlink Monitoring Tools [2026]: Lost Link Alerts

Short answer: Linkody is the best dedicated backlink monitoring tool, checking the links you've won and alerting you when they change. SEO Runway is the best fit if you want new and lost link tracking plus an anchor-text risk check in the same project as rankings and audits. Ahrefs Alerts and Semrush Backlink Audit are strong for teams on those suites. For backlink research, see our backlink checker comparison.

Disclosure: SEO Runway is our product. We ranked it using the same criteria as every other tool, and noted where others do better.

Quick picks

• Best dedicated monitor: Linkody
• Best monitoring + anchor risk in an SEO platform: SEO Runway
• Best alerts in a suite: Ahrefs Alerts
• Best toxicity audit: Semrush Backlink Audit

Backlink monitoring tools compared

*Approximate; verify.

How we chose these tools

We compared each tool's published features, plans and documentation on five criteria: new and lost alerts, anchor-text distribution and risk, link status checks (live, nofollow, redirected), scheduling, and price.

1. Linkody: best dedicated monitor

Verdict: watches your links and tells you when they change.

Pros: focus; affordable; client reports.

Cons: monitoring only.

2. SEO Runway: best monitoring and anchor risk in an SEO platform

Verdict: your backlink profile with new and lost links and an anchor-text risk check, next to rankings, audits and a link-building pipeline.

Pricing: included with Core SEO from $49/month; 14-day free trial. See plans.

Pros: context; anchor risk; reports.

Cons: a smaller index than Ahrefs or Semrush, so some links may appear later or not at all.

3. Ahrefs Alerts: best alerts in a suite

Verdict: email alerts for new and lost backlinks from Ahrefs' index.

Pros: index freshness.

Cons: no live status checks on specific links.

4. Semrush Backlink Audit: best toxicity audit

Verdict: toxicity scoring and disavow workflow.

Pros: audit tools.

Cons: toxicity needs judgement.

5. SE Ranking: best value

Verdict: backlink monitoring inside an affordable suite.

Pros: value.

Cons: index size.

6. Majestic: best for link specialists

Verdict: link alerts with Trust Flow.

Pros: link data.

Cons: link-only.

7. Moz Pro: best spam score

Verdict: link tracking with spam scoring.

Pros: familiar metrics.

Cons: index size.

8. Serpstat: budget suite

Verdict: basic monitoring cheaply.

Pros: price.

Cons: depth.

9. SEO PowerSuite SpyGlass: best penalty risk checks

Verdict: desktop monitoring with penalty risk.

Pros: risk scores.

Cons: desktop.

10. Ubersuggest: cheapest

Verdict: simple new and lost tracking.

Pros: price.

Cons: limited.

Healthy anchor-text ratios

There's no official ratio, but natural profiles usually show:

• Mostly branded and URL anchors ("SEO Runway", "seorunway.com").
• Generic anchors ("this guide", "here") as a normal minority.
• Partial-match anchors in moderation.
• Exact-match commercial anchors as a small share. A spike is a risk signal.

Compare your profile with the top-ranking competitors in your niche rather than a fixed rule.

What to do about lost links

1. Check why: the page was deleted, the link was removed, it changed to nofollow, or it redirects.
2. Prioritise by the link's value (relevance, authority and traffic).
3. Reach out politely if it was removed by mistake or your URL changed.
4. Fix your side: if your target page 404s, restore it or redirect it.
5. Replace unrecoverable links with new outreach.

Related guides

• Link building tools

Frequently asked questions

How do I know when I lose a backlink?

Use a monitoring tool with lost-link alerts, or check the "lost" report in your backlink tool regularly. Dedicated monitors also check the specific links you've built.

What is a risky anchor-text profile?

One with an unusually high share of exact-match commercial anchors compared with competitors, especially if it grew suddenly.

Should I disavow toxic links?

Only for clear manipulative links you built or a manual action. Google ignores most spammy links automatically.

The bottom line

• Dedicated monitoring: Linkody.
• Monitoring and anchor risk next to rank and audit: SEO Runway.
• Ahrefs or Semrush users: their alerts and audits.

Start a 14-day free trial of SEO Runway, or see the SEO workspace.